What's In Your Hands?

What you hold onto matters. You can’t receive God’s next while gripping onto your now. In “What’s In Your Hands?”, we unpack how closed hands can delay the wait. This episode challenges you to examine what God may be asking you to release so you can step fully into what He’s been preparing for you.

Transcript

Host: Smilla 0:01

Hello guys, how are you? I hope you're well. Welcome to Revival Podcast. First episode Very Pilot. Crazy. My name is Smilla. I'm your host. People call me Smile. And yeah, I'm honored to sit and yap a little bit with you guys today. I honestly did not think that this was something that I was ever gonna do. When I was spreading the gospel um in different work environments, I always had people say to me, like, oh, I need your podcast. Oh, you should start a podcast. And I always responded so confidently, um, I'm quite sure my what my purpose is, what my calling is. I don't think this is a godly assignment of mine, but thank you. And then when I actually gave it to God, he was like, Oh, here's the 12 episodes to you will release. And I was like, Oh, okay, I guess we're doing this. And the list has just continued to grow since that conversation and just giving that to him. So literally within 48 hours, I decided to commit to obedience, did the logo, did all the logistics, did the art cover, and basically here we are. So I guess encouragement to anyone who's felt a nudge or an idea, um give it to God. Ask Him what to do with it, how to steward it, and whether it's even from Him.

What Revival Means

Host: Smilla 1:30

Historically, Revival is the overpouring of God's presence, favor, and grace. Um, but revival as a noun states an improvement in the condition, strength, or fortunes of someone, someone or something. Basically means to rebuild or restore. It again was quite a rushed, um, I guess, title decision. Um, didn't really check if it was taken. So if it's taken, sorry. I kind of just went along with the God-given instructions that was given to me. I did have that title used for many other Christian projects when I was younger, some that I actually ended up doing, some that I kind of just put on the shelf. So I guess God felt that it was consistent and suitable here too. Also, even with designing the cover art, I thought that maybe the IV bag will trigger some people, but then I thought maybe that's good. And stay with me, because if you're triggered, at least you become aware of an area that still needs work or still needs healing, still needs restoration and rebuilding, aka revival. Because triggers illuminates areas of deficiency, areas of unhealed trauma. So if this cover art triggers you and plants seeds of reflection, I don't mind that. But y'all are lucky I didn't design the bag with like the blood of Jesus, okay? At least I went PG with the holy water, okay? I was about to I was about to fill it with the blood of the blood of Jesus, shed for our sins, but I didn't. Okay, so you're welcome. Anyway, I truly believe that regardless of how you came across this podcast, whether that was sent to you, you found it by accident, um, I sent it to you, or it was sent by someone else, that um there's something for everyone here, regardless if it's for the season you're in now, the season that you have upcoming, or the season of someone you know. I think it's something for everyone here. So regardless of background or age, or whether you're a walking Christian or just curious, you are very welcome to Revival Podcast.

When God Spoke To Me

Host: Smilla 3:49

The message for the episode today is called What's in Your Hands? Um, I was recently filming in Wales, Ludlow, and on my way back to London, and for those who don't know, it's like a five-hour journey. So my train journey back, I was kind of scrolling on Instagram a little bit, and I came across a post by Jerry Flowers, I think, whether it was by his church or just himself. He's a pastor, for those who don't know. And it was just a black and white picture of him, I think, standing on a stage with his fist closed. So wasn't any text or necessarily, or I don't think it was a video either. Um, but I wouldn't exactly know. Because when I tried to find the post again, I literally looked everywhere I couldn't find the post because I wanted to save it because obviously that was kind of what triggered God to download this entire message into my head. So really strange. Can't couldn't find it afterwards. But basically, I just remember him standing on stage, holding his fist closed, and it was just kind of like one of those Sunday posts when they're kind of just posting some slide photos from like the Sunday sermon. And as soon as I saw the photo, God like immediately gave me this vision, visual analogy of how many of us are walking um with Christ, how many of us are walking in our relationship with our Heavenly Father. So I immediately pulled up my computer, my Bible, and I tried to write down everything as he was saying it to me. So hopefully um I can be able to just share what he shared with me to you guys. So get your Bibles and notebooks ready, and I'm gonna try to share to you what he shared with me. But first, let's pray. Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you that we can come to you. I thank you that you use us, not because you need us, but because you want us, you want us involved. I just pray that you use me as a vessel today, that you speak through me and that you plant seeds and whoever listens to this message, that it will bless them, Father God, that the vision and the analogy and everything that you shared with me that day on that train, that that will translate to the listener today, and that that will bless them regardless if it's for this season, for the season ahead, or for someone that they know. In Jesus' mighty name I pray. Amen.

The Closed Fist Analogy

Host: Smilla 6:11

So I want you guys, which is a bit weird when it's a podcast, but I want you guys to put your hands in front of you and close your fists really tight. Obviously, if you're driving or if you're unable to do it, just imagine it. So you have two close fists in front of you. Okay, stay with me. Now imagine a snack, whether that is candy, berries, or in my case, I'm gonna imagine an orange because that's what I had in my fridge. If I pour the snack into your closed fist, it's gonna spill to the floor. It's gonna fall to the ground. If I take my orange and try to place it on my closed fist in my hand, it's gonna fall to the ground, regardless what my closed fist position is in. However, if I open my closed fist and place the orange in my hand, it's gonna stay at the palm of my hand, ready to be used by myself or by those around me. Now, okay, stay with me. We have a palm of blessings in the palm of our hand. With your other closed fist, let's try and pick up the blessing. With other words, apply it. Because blessings aren't just given to us, they're not just received. We have to accept it and apply it. Noah didn't just get the blessing of saving his family and himself from drowning. He still had to accept it and apply it and build a boat. Moses didn't just get help to split the sea, he still had to apply it and actually walk through it. If we're healed from an illness, we have to sacrifice what was to walk into what's new. We have to let go to accept new blessings. Even if we're comfortable, even if it's convenient, even if we feel safe, we need open fists, we need surrendered hands. The closed fist next to me cannot peel the orange in my other hand. I'm not able to pick up the snack, the blessing, the guidance, the healing, the miracle that's given to me that I'm holding, if I'm not letting go of my other hand. We need open fists. We need surrendered hands. So the closed fist, can't peel this orange, can't peel this blessing, with other words, can't apply the blessing I've received from God. And this is how many of us are walking with the blessing that we've been praying for. This is how many of us look like finally getting the husband, but in our closed fist, in our other hand, we're still unable to love him like 1 Corinthians, because we're still keeping records of wrongs. In one hand, we're getting the money to start that business that we've been praying for. But in my other hand, we're holding on to the need to fill this void of safety and buying stuff we don't need, immature spending. In one hand, you're getting the safety you're prayed for, in the other you're still holding on to fear. In one hand, you have God available to you, in the other hand, you are obsessed to be in control. Submission is beneath you. Pride. With one hand you have your sins erased, you're born again, and in the other hand, you're rejecting repentance and holding on to your past. So let's now let go of our fisted hand, meaning we're holding a snack in one hand and we have one palm open in the other. Now, because I let go, I'm not able to peel this orange. I'm able to eat this orange, and I'm able to share this orange. Now by letting go, I'm able to not just receive God's word, his blessing, his guidance, his miracle, healing, whatever it is that you're praying for, but I can apply it and I can give it to someone else. See, once you let go and let God, not only does it bless you, but it blesses those around you. Holding something whilst trying to replace it is impossible. Replacement and cleansing requires sacrifice. Something has to go. In the operation room, you take something out and replace with something new. When you go to the car shop, you take something out and replace with something new. The problem is so many of us are afraid of the new, of the unknown, of the better outcome. We are afraid of what might happen if we apply the blessing. So we hold on to the new and the old at the same time. Hoping that one day we'll feel ready. We're hoping that this bad habit that we're holding on to, or the addiction, or the sin, or whatever it is that needs to go. Oh, Lord will just let that take like He will just take that away. That will just leave by itself over time. That porn addiction will just go away by itself. I can just pray that away while still clinging to the habit that created it in the first place. We hold the debt freedom that we've been praying for at the same time as holding on to the habits that created it in the first place. We hold the peace that we've been praying for that's available to us while still clutching to bitterness. We can't dress ourselves new while still wearing the old. Don't take it personal, but you will look ridiculous. You'll look like Joey from Friends putting on all of Chandler's clothes. If you know you know. We need to stop holding on to what God wants us to let go of. Because it will create space not just to receive but to apply. And yes, letting go may hurt. I'm not gonna lie to you. But the gospel is sacrificial love. If you can't sacrifice for yourself, how are you ever gonna sacrifice for anyone else? If you can't let go for yourself and apply, how will your kids ever see your fruit?

Don't Delay Your Blessing

Host: Smilla 12:52

The more you delay your blessing, and yes, you can delay your blessing, God is always on time, but it's because he's waiting for you to stop holding your fists closed like this. Taking out your baked potatoes, I'm definitely having some, Christmas is coming up. We take them out of the oven at the right time, when they are ready to be eaten, ready to be consumed. However, if they are cooked on the wrong degrees, under too low degrees, we have to wait longer for the right time. So God is always on time. But we have the power, the choice, and the responsibility to prepare for what we're praying for. Me and my flatmate earlier this year, um we got two gifts for a guy called Isaac, and we painted and drew all his favorite shows on the wrapping paper, um, all from the Star Wars franchise to some Apple TV series, I don't remember what the name was. And one day he asked me to enter his room to look for something, and I noticed the gifts that we gave him was piled in some letters on his desk, still not opened yet. And this was weeks and months later, and I thought to myself, how can a gift which I know you would love and be useful to you be right in front of you, still not opened? And then I thought, how much more frustrating is it for God when his gift of blessing and guidance, the things we've been praying for is right in front of us, but we're not opening it. It's gonna sound hard to hear for some, because some of you have been told to pray away your alcohol addiction, your your debt, your you know, family or pray-free husband, but there's no deeds attached to that prayer. You are praying for to become debt-free, but you're not quitting your bad spending. You're praying for your alcohol addiction, but you refuse to see a therapist, you refuse AA meetings and rehab, praying for a husband. Sweetie, let's be honest. You're not even leaving your house. Sure. God can't heal what you won't reveal, but he also can't please what you won't release. Yeah, I'm gonna let that sit for a bit. Jesus can't please what you won't release. He does not force himself on anyone. God loves us enough and wants us involved. He loves helping us, but he loves us growing in the process, and that means we have to act too. And you'll be like, act? Smilla? What do you mean? We're gonna read, um, we're gonna turn to James 2. Um, it is just after Hebrews in the back of your Bible, if you have them in your hand, or if you have the Bible app, just scroll down to where it says James 2. And we're gonna read um James 2:14. And it says, What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes or daily food. If one of you says to them, Grow in peace, keep warm, well fed, but does nothing about their physical needs? What good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, You have faith, I have deeds. Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good. Even the demons believe that, and shudder. You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says Abraham believed God and is it was credited to him as righteousness, and he was called God's friend. You see that the person is considered righteous by what they do, not by faith alone. In the same way was not even Rahab, the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction. As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. Guys, faith isn't one-sided due to the gift of free will that requires us to act too. We're gonna read um Second Peter. If we find 2 Peter, that was 1 Peter. I want to find 2 Peter. There we go. And we're gonna read um 2 Peter verse 1. I'm lying. Um chapter 1 by verse 5. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness, and to goodness knowledge, and to knowledge, self-control, and to self-control, perseverance, and to perseverance, godliness, and to godliness, mutual affection, and to mutual affection love, for if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of the Lord. With other words, it will keep you effective and active and productive for the Lord. Um Jesus Christ, but whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. Yikes. Guys, God loves us too much for us to remain the same. Like this verse describe is constantly improving ourselves so that we are in readiness, so that we're not becoming blind, but actually are in a posture where we can be used for his glory. Can you imagine raising a child and helping him or her with absolutely everything repeatedly? I can guarantee you that they will be relying from the help of others for the rest of their lives. And if they are always relying on their earthly father to help them, how are they ever going to help anybody else? Anybody else around them? We are called to be the salt of the earth. Love your neighbor, iron sharpens iron. We cannot help anyone if we've never been involved in a helping task. I would have never learned how to cook or clean or etc. If my parents didn't involve me in those things, versus me just rather just wait for the finished product on the table. God loves us enough to involve us in his plan, in his blessings, in his miracle. But if we keep relying on him for miracles, we're not gonna be able to be a miracle for someone who's far from God. We can't plant seeds without getting our hands dirty. We plant seeds and God waters them. If we turn to Philippians 4, again, a bit further back in your Bible, um, just after Ephesians, Ephesians. See, this is what I mean, like God call calls the unqualified. I can't even pronounce some of the names in here, but here we are. That was funny. Anyway, therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed not only my presence, but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Another translation says respect, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. He wants us involved, to will and to act in order to fulfill his perp good purpose. And don't get it twisted. He doesn't need us, he wants us because he loves us. He doesn't need any of us. But he wants to invite us into his plan and involve us. Hmm. Okay, I know it's a lot of Bible today, but we're gonna go to my favorite chapters, Genesis, in the beginning of your Bible, Genesis 18 and 19. Best chapters ever. Honestly, if you get the time, no, actually, make the time to read them in your own time because they are cray cray. Oh my days, they're juicy. We're not gonna read them um the full thing, but we are gonna pick up from 18 verse 16. And basically, why I want to bring these verses up is that these are two chapters where again it shows how God wants us involved. Um, in these two chapters, we follow Abraham and Lot both negotiating with God. Yeah, that's right, negotiating with God. And it's funny because why would God even allow a conversation like that? If he's all Lord Almighty with all authority, why would he even involve or entertain a negotiation? But it just proves that he loves us so much that he wants to involve us into his conversations, and yeah, so much so that he actually tweaks his original plan to please at uh Abraham and Lot in these chapters. So we're gonna pick up from Abraham not Abraham, Genesis 18, um, verse 16. And up until this point, God and two angels had just visited Abraham and Sarah. And this was one of the first instances in the Bible where we see God appear in a human form. So Abraham and Sarah basically just wrapped up some some quick Gordon Ramsay skills and just hosted God and two angels with whatever best ingredients that they had in the house. Um, you know, a casual Tuesday in the Old Testament. Not really, but they did definitely host them with the best ingredients in the house. But pressure. If that was me today, I'm still trying to figure out would I go to Sainsbury's and then cook up something, but then I would have to entertain them as I'm cooking, or would I order Uber Eats? Would we like, you know, like pressure. But yeah, well done. We're gonna pick up from when God and two angels are just about to leave. So chapter 18, verse 16. When the men got up to leave, aka the angels and God, they looked down towards Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. Host of the host. That was Abram. And obviously, during this time as well, like hospitality was such a big thing when he had guests. I mean, obviously, this is God, as you guessed, so obviously you're doing a bit extra. But even regardless, like hospitality was like a big, big thing. Um, so we're gonna pick up from verse 16. When the men got up to leave, they looked down towards Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. Then the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham what I'm about to do? And I'm just gonna pause there quickly because when I first read this, I was like, Why is God all-knowing thinking? Why is he debating in his mind, and why is he thinking out loud in front of Abraham? And then God revealed to me that covenant, the covenant that we have with God, includes communication. Like a real relationship involves sharing your thoughts, not withholding them. He's basically saying, I'm not gonna act without letting my friend know. God invites Abraham into the conversation because he knows that involvement grows character. Again, he doesn't want us to remain the same. So he involves us so that we grow. We're gonna continue reading. Abraham will surely become great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him, for I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him. Then the Lord said, The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great, and their sins so grievous, that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that have reached me. If not, I will know. Again, pause. I was like, Brother, why why are you why are you all knowing, but you need to go down and investigate? And again, God revealed to me, like God is all knowing and fair because he chooses to investigate, because he loves us. He is all knowing and fair and just because he investigates throughly, because he loves us. Like he doesn't just sit on his throne and waits for his angels to report and gossip to him, like he is all knowing because he places himself everywhere by the Holy Spirit. Okay, let's continue. The men turned away and went towards Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord. Then Abraham approached him and said, Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it for you to do such a thing Yikes to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it for you, will not the judge of all the earth do right? The Lord said, If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake. Then Abraham spoke up again. Okay, now that I have been so bold and to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? I mean he's not wrong, we're nothing but dust and ashes, but still that was funny. Will you destroy the whole city for the lack of five people? If I find forty five there, Lord said, I will not destroy it. Once again he spoke to Him. What if only forty are found there? he said. For the sake of forty I will not do it. Then the um then Abraham said again, May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there? He answered. I will not do it if I find thirty there. Abraham said once again, now that I have been so bold and to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there? And Lord said, For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it. And then Abraham said, May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak once more. What if only ten can be found there? And Lord answered, For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it. When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, He left and Abraham returned home. It's funny to me because I hear a lot how a lot of people think that God is different in the New Testament versus the Old Testament, how He's more strict and um I don't want to use the word evil, but I probably has come up in some conversations in the Old Testament versus the New Testament versus New Testament, he's more loving and it's Jesus and da da da da. When actually he is consistent and all the same, never changing throughout the entire Bible. Like, not only did Abraham have the audacity to judge and question God's morality here, but repeatedly God stood by him and waited until Abraham felt safe, that Lot would be safe. For those who don't know, Lot was like a son for Abraham, and Abraham was questioning and questioning and questioning here because obviously Lot lived in the city that God was about to destroy because of the Canaanites and because of the evil, crazy evil stuff that went down there. And although Lot did not participate in them, he obviously lived there, so he didn't want Lot to be destroyed with the whole city. But this is the type of God that we serve that just stays and reassures and reassures again and again and again and again until Abraham feels safe. And yes, the original plan was obviously for God to destroy the whole city. And here we just see how he involves us into the conversation, reassures us into the conversation, like waits for us to feel safe. Like he could have just shot Abraham up if he wanted to, if that's the kind of strict God that we think of him to be. He could have reacted way worse. But no, he didn't react. He just stood there, listened to Abraham, let him, you know, tell all his concerns, and just keep reassuring him until Abraham felt safe enough for um for God to depart and turn home, just trusting that Lot would be okay. If that's not love, I don't know what is. Um, we're gonna pick up again from Genesis 19:15. At this point, Lot has been um basically hosting the two angels. A lot of crazy shenanigans went down, but we're not gonna cover that bit today. But if you want to read it, you can read it in your time. But we're gonna pick up from where the angels basically want to rush them out before the city gets destroyed. So, 19 verse 15. With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, Hurry, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished. When he hesitated, the men, aka the angels, grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them. As soon as they had bought them out, brought them out, one of them said, Flee for your lives, don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain, flee to the mountain um in the plain flee to the mountains or you will be swept away. But Lot said to them, again, here's where the negotiation comes. No, my lords, please, your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life. But I can't flee to the mountains, this disaster will overtake me and I'll die. Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it. It's very small, isn't it? And the why I think I mean I'm reading um NIV, but why I believe like it's very small, isn't it? Is because he was trying to make a point that because this town called Zoar, the small town he's describing, was so small, he was negotiating with a point, an argument saying that you're you're destroying Sodom and Gomorrah, and you're supposed to destroy Zoar, but you can Zoar because it's the smallest town that was supposed to be destroyed. So if you spare that small town, at least I can live there, and then the other evil people will also survive there, but because it's so small, it doesn't really matter. That's kind of his point here. Um, then my life will be spared. He said to him, Very well, I will grant you this request too. I will not overthrow the town you speak of. This is the dumbest negotiation ever. I know that God loves us, but this is this is the point where I'm like, God, you could actually be as strict as some people say you to be sometimes. Like this town should have been blown up. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. But if you read the Bible, knowing what cray cray, cray, cray, cray, cray cray, cray people live there, they should have just and knowing what happened, they didn't even go there in the end, but that's spoiler alert. But anyway, we're gonna continue. God is graceful, and he mended his original decision to fit Lot's wishes here. Okay, so he spared Zoar, which means small, because it was a small town. Um, we're gonna continue from verse 23. By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land, then the Lord rained down burning over um burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah. And if you don't know what sulfur is, it's acid. From the Lord out of the heavens, thus he overthrew those cities and um the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities and also the vegetation in the land.

Don't Look Back

Host: Smilla 34:43

But Lot's wife looked back and she became a pillar of salt. A pillar of salt that they found, by the way. You can look it up. They found her, guys. They found the the lost city of Sodom and Gomorrah, and they found the pillar of salt with human DNA in it. Just saying, just gonna put it out there. But back to the message. Lot's wife turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back at Sodom. When she was longing and clinging to a sinful past that God had told her to let go of and move forward. She was basically holding one poem open with the promised future, the promised land, the escape, the blessing, while still holding on to the past. Sometimes us holding fists doesn't just delay the blessing, it can be such a consequence that we don't even receive it ever. And not because God is evil and withholding blessings from us, but because we're not in a posture to even carry it or hold it. We can learn to avoid looking back or avoid holding on to past behaviors, attitudes, circumstances that prevent us from moving forward or progressing in our lives. But learning is a choice, progressing is a choice. Loosening our fists and being able to receive is a choice. Choice, guys. We have free will, you know. Just because God heals and blesses and wants to love us and be with us doesn't mean we have to accept it or accept Him. Hence why not everybody is Christian. Because it's a choice. Loosening your fist and being able to receive Him, His blessing, whatever you're praying for, is a choice. Just because God heals and blesses and wants to love us does not mean that we have to accept it or that we automatically accept it. It is a free willed choice. He wants us to choose Him gladly and fully by our own will. So even though He knows that us letting go of XYZ is essential for him to intervene, he rather waits for us than force Himself on us. He rather waits on you than like to intervene and to help then force himself on you. Moving forward requires a commitment of letting go of the old to embrace the new. Whatever that looks for you, maybe it just starts with identifying old habits, like bad habits, areas where you are lacking environments that you could be serving, but you haven't yet been bothered. The more we apply 2 Peter 1:5 to 9 and Philippians 2: 12 to 13 that we read earlier, like speaking about even James that we read as well, like speaking about how faith is not just faith alone, it's by our deeds and how we constantly have to improve ourselves for the better to be able to be in a posture where we can actually receive and apply whatever God's will is. Like the more we apply those verses to ourselves, the more we are ready to be used by God. We are ready to receive the blessing, but we're also ready to be a blessing for someone else by Jesus using us. We have to prepare for what we're praying for. Galatians 6: 7. A man reaps what he sows. Proverbs 24: 27, put your outdoor work in order and get your fields ready. After that, build your house. Something has to go for us to go into the new. And I think the reason why God gave me this message as the first Pilot episode, I think, is because the year is coming to an end. And I think a lot of us are looking like this. A lot of us are looking like this image of two closed fists, or one closed fist and one holding the blessing. And I think He wants us to let go. I don't think he wants us to enter 2026 still holding on to the things that He wants us to let go of. Whatever abusive cycle or habitat or stronghold or generational um, you know, sins, whatever it is, whatever that looks like for you, whatever area that is for you. I encourage us to just reflect and try to make up a plan to let it go. To train ourselves. And don't be scared to confess it to the people around you. Don't be scared to get help if that's necessary. Even if it's not necessary, you might as well. Like fellowship is important. But I really truly believe that the reason why He gave me this as the first pilot is because time is ticking. Not to say that we're all on the same timeline, but it's ticking for him to give you what he wants to give you. And coming back to the analogy I shared earlier with the oven, you having it on the wrong degrees is going to take longer for him before it's ready to be taken out of the oven. So together, let's all try before 2026 to let go. Whatever we are conscious about, whatever is unconscious for that to come to the surface. I'm going to pray for you guys in a second. But we need to pray for God to reveal what we need to let go of. Because God can't please what we won't release. And we cannot expect to hold on to the bad habits that cause the problem while still expecting the blessing and the answered prayer to arrive at the same time. We can't have one foot in the world and one foot in Jesus. Like we have to completely surrender. Even if it's uncomfortable, even if it's inconvenient, or it feels risky, or we're scared of the unknown. That's what faith is, walking into the unknown. We trust not by what we see. We trust God, knowing that He has us, that He hasn't forsaken us, that He loves us. Okay, I'm gonna pray for us, guys. Father God, I just thank you for this message. I pray that we will be encouraged, but not just walk away encouraged. I also pray that you just reveal to us what areas in us all that we need to let go of. Whether that is addictions or illnesses or just habits or certain sins, whatever that looks for every individual of us, I pray that you reveal it to us. I pray that whatever is blocking us from hearing you and seeing you clearly, that those walls will be taken down, and that you will help us take them down. I pray that you put the right people around us to help disciple us and to help us to leave the old to walk in and embrace the new. I pray that we won't just walk in faith but we'll walk with faith and deeds, together. I thank you that You cleanse us, I thank you that you restore and rebuild us. I pray for a revival in us, I pray that 2026 will be a testimony of a revival where we have now let go of the past. Please plant seeds in all of us and water them. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. Okay, guys. Thank you so much for tuning in. Tuning in to the pilot episode, guys. To what's in your hands. I hope this blessed you. Um, if it did, please share it. Um more will be coming. I'm not sure if I'm gonna release one before Christmas. If I do, then the location will look differently because I will be in Sweden. If I don't, then Merry Christmas. And um, yeah, may the Lord continue to be with you. God bless. Bye.